Skip to main content

I Went to Disney World

“Well,” my grandmother asked,  “are you excited?”

I had no idea what she meant by this statement.  Nothing particularly exciting had happened in my life recently.  It was just the usual routine of a high school sophomore.  I could not think of any other answer but,

“About what,” I asked, hoping for some small clue about what she meant.

“About Disney!  We’re going to Disney,” my grandmother responded, with notable excitement in her voice.

To say that my grandparents loved Disney World is an understatement.  Over the years, they had made several trips to the Florida theme parks.  At the time of our conversation, they probably had been at least a half dozen times.  I just figured this was my grandmother’s roundabout way of announcing their next trip.

“Oh…fun…” I said, still a bit confused.

“Well, aren’t you excited about it?”  Her voice was a mix of anticipation and slight impatience.

This cryptic back and forth could go on for a long time, so I responded the only way I could.

“Sure…  You guys love going to Disney,” I offered.  “You always have fun.”

The next words my grandmother spoke shocked me.

“Well, you’re going to have fun, too” she assured me, “We’re taking you and your brothers!”

Since the first of their many trips to Disney World, my grandparents had been trying to convince the rest of the family to go, as well.  Apparently realizing that none of us had any plans to do that, they decided to take their grandchildren.  First, they would take my cousins who lived near them in Tennessee.  Then, the next year, they would take my brothers and me.  That would be followed one year later by a trip for my two youngest cousins.

For a moment, I said nothing.  But, had my grandmother been able to see the look on my face upon hearing those words, she would know I was giddy.

Once the initial shock subsided, I again responded the only way I could.

“Seriously?”  It was short but appropriate, I thought.

The way my grandmother answered “Well … yes,” made me realize that she truly thought I already knew about the trip.  Then, she ended the conversation where it began,

“Are you excited?”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Universal Round Trip

In hindsight, we should have known something was not right. On our way home from an annual vacation in southwest Florida, we stopped in Orlando. Our plan was to spend a day at the area’s newest theme park, Universal Studios. The park had only been open a few weeks when we arrived. My family and I were excited to be among its first visitors. My parents, siblings, and I arrived just as the park was opening. We purchased our tickets and stood in line, waiting to enter the park. As we made our way through the gates, a park employee handed each of us something that looked like an index card. Excited to get to the rides, we only glanced at the cards, not really taking in what we were holding. It was not until we were in line for the first ride that anyone in my family really examined the cards we all held in our hands. A bright shade of blue, the front of each card was marked with the Universal Studios logo. On the reverse, alongside several lines of fine p...
1 comment
Read more

Catch A Cab

We had been walking for about forty-five minutes, making our way from Manhattan’s South Street Seaport to the Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street. When we were within fifteen blocks of our destination, some of my companions decided that we should complete our journey by cab. Despite my attempts to convince them to keep walking, they were insistent. The trip that ensued was a true New York experience. After a few minutes of trying, one of my companions was able to hail a cab. However, we wanted to go north. The cab that stopped was going south. It did not seem to matter, though, as my companions still got in the cab. One person sat in the front while I slipped into the backseat, between the other two. Hardly before the doors could close, the driver had fought his way into Manhattan traffic. Without warning, he took a sharp right turn onto a side street and began to head north, steadily increasing his speed. Within seconds, the cab was weaving a...
1 comment
Read more

When in Rome . . . or Seattle

What was I doing here? I do not even drink coffee. Besides, all of these places basically look the same. This place was no different, really. What was the point of my being here? I had no intention of ordering coffee. Yet, there I was, standing in a tiny Starbucks Coffee shop in Seattle. I was not alone. The store was packed to the point where I could hardly move. While most of the people in the store had a drink in hand, I spotted a few who, like me, were just looking around. In any other city, this might have seemed exceedingly strange, going to Starbucks with no intention of getting coffee. But, this was different. This was the first Starbucks. Seattle and coffee are somewhat linked. It was in Seattle that coffee became a pastime. What was once a drink largely reserved for mornings and evening meals, became a day-long obsession. Granted, Starbucks is just another large corporation. But, it was in Seattle that Starbucks began. Seeking out the first store see...
1 comment
Read more